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Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

I received my two Zebralight H50 Q5 headlamps today and couldn't wait until nightfall to take some beamshots for a review!
I will start off by saying that both lights have truely identical output. Comfirmed by both my eyes and my digital camera. So don't worry about getting a dud.
The light itself has really nice finish, smooth threads, and feels sturdy considering how lightweight it is.
It comes with the the headband and attachment, an extra attachment by itself, another attachment that is connected to a draw string (not sure what it's really for?), a clip so you can clip the light to your pocket, and a little device that is used to block out the glare from the beam. All of the attachments are the same and are all glow in the dark. Not your normal weak glow in the dark like the glow in the dark tailcaps on some current models. These things REALLY GLOW! I'm not sure for how long but wow they are bright!
The one downfall I can find so far is that the light is not all that tight when sitting in the headband attachment. It can spin around if there is too much movement. I'm sure someone on here will figure out a easy way to solve this problem, but before then I have to say it is a downfall.

On to the pics. The first pic shows the light (without headband) compared to a Fenix P2DCE. You can see that it is incredibly small! The second pic is the beam on low, followed by medium, and then high. You can see that the levels are spaced pretty far apart unlike many lights on the market. I had a hard time capturing what I saw in person. All modes are quite a bit brighter than these pictures represent. I could easily navigate my basement in the low mode (it was actually quite bright) but it looks nearly pitch dark in these pictures. So keep this in mind if you think that the pics don't make the light look very bright.

Pros:
Amazing flood beam!
High output on high, and low output on low
Great fit and finish
Super lightweight

Cons:
Light could possibly shift in the headlamp attachment while running/jogging or intense trail climbing.

With my lightbox I found a reasonable formula to get approximate lumens. Just divide my overall number by 5 and it will be very close to the amount of lumens coming out of the front of the light. I have tested this with all of my lights and I'm confident that it is very close to exact, and if anything I think it will project a slightly low number. With that said here are the lumen ratings for the different levels:

Low = 1.8 lumens
Medium = 11.6 lumens
High = 70.8

You can see that my lumen figures are very close to what the manufacturer claimed for this light. They are very slightly under their claims on the low and medium settings and slightly over on the high. Either way it does show exactly how much brighter each setting is from the one before it, and gives a rough idea as to how much light it is putting out.

Is there a light on the market (cheap hopefully) that is proven to be EXACTLY a specific lumen amount? I don't care how bright or dim it is as long as it is basically guaranteed to be an exact amount. I figure if I can find a light like this it will make it possible for me to get a near perfect formula for testing all of my lights.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Thanks for the great pics.That is one amazing little light.I am soooo sorry I had to remove myself from the Q5 presale list.But how could I pass on a half price FireLion?

Anyway,just one question.Does the emitter dome stick out or is it flush with the body?

Andy

Your welcome. Don't worry about removing yourself from the Q5 list, because Zebralight is doing another run of Q5 bin H50's. So you can get yourself one afterall. I wouldn't be able to pass on a half price Firelion either (who would?).

The answer to your question is kind of hard to describe. The dome DOES stick out a little, but it doesn't go past the tube of the body. Right before the dome of the LED the body indents slightly which makes the top of LED just slightly below the tube of the body.

I'd expect some pretty cool lights from Zebralight in the future. They are very responsive and actually value user input. A+ so far.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Hi AD,

Thanks Again!

Andy

Originally Posted by adirondackdestroyer

Your welcome. Don't worry about removing yourself from the Q5 list, because Zebralight is doing another run of Q5 bin H50's. So you can get yourself one afterall. I wouldn't be able to pass on a half price Firelion either (who would?).

The answer to your question is kind of hard to describe. The dome DOES stick out a little, but it doesn't go past the tube of the body. Right before the dome of the LED the body indents slightly which makes the top of LED just slightly below the tube of the body.

I'd expect some pretty cool lights from Zebralight in the future. They are very responsive and actually value user input. A+ so far.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Mine arrived today, came via USPS (signature required). I was quite surprised how small it was; it's quite a bit smaller than my Rayovac 1AA headlamp. The low is really LOW which is what I've been looking for in a headlamp for a long time. The low or medium should make a great reading light while camping. The high can really light up a wide area.

Came with a several accessories: A flexible rubber hood for the lens, a nice wide headband, a metal clip, a neck lanyard, an extra GID holder, and 2 extra 'O' rings. Here's 2 comparison photos between the ZL and a Rayovac 1AA headlamp:

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Originally Posted by adirondackdestroyer

The one downfall I can find so far is that the light is not all that tight when sitting in the headband attachment. It can spin around if there is too much movement. I'm sure someone on here will figure out a easy way to solve this problem, but before then I have to say it is a downfall.

This was my only gripe about this light , yet I wanted someone to confirm it first. The beamshots more than make up for it though ,good job. I hope to get in on the next Q5 run.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by adirondackdestroyerThe one downfall I can find so far is that the light is not all that tight when sitting in the headband attachment. It can spin around if there is too much movement. I'm sure someone on here will figure out a easy way to solve this problem, but before then I have to say it is a downfall.

This can be overcome by adding a thin layer rubber 'paint' on the holder and/or the light

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Originally Posted by greenstuffs

It lacks punch hope the Lion versions are brighter.

I got mine yesterday, and I must say this light is very bright! It lacks "punch" because that is not it's design. It has more flood than the Mississippi River! That is why I purchased it. It is great for a distance of about 30 feet, not just in front of you though, but all around.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Originally Posted by greenstuffs

It lacks punch hope the Lion versions are brighter.

While I agree a Lithium Ion version would be brighter I'm not sure I feel all that safe with a Lithium Ion attached to my freaking head!!!
Imagine if it happen to go bang while you were wearing it. OUCH! I'd be even uglier than I already am. LOL

As I said in my first post the pictures are no where near as bright as the light actually appears in real life. I think this is because the light lacks throw and I am used to taking pictures of lights that have quite a bit of throw. In person this thing is VERY VERY bright on high!
No complaints here.

Last edited by adirondackdestroyer; 09-25-2007 at 02:48 PM.
Reason: Fix

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

I got a chance to use my Q5 Zebralight outside as task-lighting for the first time tonight and I'M IN LOVE! It was perfect, the all-flood beam is... perfect! No hotspot to destroy your night-vision, everything is even, it ends up looking like there is actually more light being output than there is! My Dad bought one, but I may give a few of these as Christmas gifts, I'm so impressed.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Originally Posted by ZebraLight

Constant current regualted.

Thanks George. That's cool..! Then this is the most ideal task light i ever know up until now.

And what makes me really like it is, it's unique side windowing, all flood beam and exponentially lumens intensity level adjustment (2 for low, 10 for med and 50 for high, 2 x 5 = 10, 10 x 5 = 50) that is rarely found on many lights out there.

As i prefer to make this light as the EDC on my keychain instead as the headlamp, the only concern for me is there's absolutely no hole to attach the keyring or lanyard to the light body (other than through the silicon bracket that is too big to carry as EDC and also not so secure).

Is that possible to add a kind of hole on bottom but without sacrificing it's stand capability, for the next batch manufacturing? I think, technically it's not so difficult and obviously it's a big plus-plus for this baby. Besides the headlamp market, you'll get the EDC market as well for sure.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Originally Posted by afahmic

Is that possible to add a kind of hole on bottom but without sacrificing it's stand capability, for the next batch manufacturing? I think, technically it's not so difficult and obviously it's a big plus-plus for this baby. Besides the headlamp market, you'll get the EDC market as well for sure.

The lack of such a hole is probably the biggest reason why I haven't bought one yet.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Thanks for the review. I ordered one today. I soooooooo could have used one at work the other day. Close up work in dim/dark environments, trying to use one hand with a flashlight the other with a tool, or flashlight in mouth 'trick'. It occured to me how valuable a decent headlamp would be.

It's kinda amazing to me at how many campers/spelunkers seem to go for this light, yet it seems to me that it would be perfect for me at work. Electricians, plumbers, maintenance workers, technicians, etc. all would seem to benefit. Here's hoping that it suits my needs well!

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Originally Posted by Steve-11

Thanks for the review. I ordered one today. I soooooooo could have used one at work the other day. Close up work in dim/dark environments, trying to use one hand with a flashlight the other with a tool, or flashlight in mouth 'trick'. It occured to me how valuable a decent headlamp would be.

It's kinda amazing to me at how many campers/spelunkers seem to go for this light, yet it seems to me that it would be perfect for me at work. Electricians, plumbers, maintenance workers, technicians, etc. all would seem to benefit. Here's hoping that it suits my needs well!

As great as Flashlights are Headlamps are much more useful if you need to work with your hands. If you want a light for close up work this is most likely the best ever! The beam is a perfect flood with no hotspot to speak of. The light is pretty bright on Medium and very bright on High. I'm going night hiking next weekend and I'll post back in this thread with my recap afterwards.
So far the Zebralight H50 is the best headlamp I've ever owned, and I can't wait for their H30 model!!!

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

I finally got mine last week. I couldn't be more happy with this light. It exceeded my expectations in every area. The machining, threads, and finish are all of outstanding quality. It works really well on energizer lithiums.

Re: Zebralight H50 Q5 Headlamp Review!!!

Mine just arrived today. My initial impression is very good. It comes with a lot of accessories, which makes me happy. I'm going to try various batteries in it to see what works best. Thanks to everyone who has brought this product to our attention.